South Korea may not be a powerhouse in world football but when it comes to the Asian region, in recent times, both at youth and senior level, they have continued to make their presence felt.
As they prepare to battle Lebanon for a place at the World Cup 2022, the national team is not the only ones in the news.
Part of their goodwill on route rising to the top of Asian soccer is the caliber of talents they have exported for the past decade. Park Jing Sung is still a legend in Manchester United while Heung Ming Son is setting himself up nicely to be remembered in the same breath at Tottenham.
As the World Cup 2022, approaches however, the South’s greatest export may be in the person of Park Hang-seo, the current coach of Vietnam’s senior men’s side.
Last week, the Vietnamese showed how much they appreciate Park Hang-seo when they renewed his contract and upped his salary to reportedly as high as $20, 000 per month. It is the highest amount of money the Vietnamese FA has ever paid to the coach of its national side.
Under the tutelage of Park, Vietnam has reason above Thailand to become arguably the best footballing side in SouthEast Asia despite being a tiny country whose only history revolves around the fact that the Vietnam war was the only was the United States of America ever lost.
There is a lot of talent in the squad but under Park, a much-needed coordination and disciplined has been instilled among the troops and the results are there for all to see.
Vietnam faces United Arab Emirates in Group G clash and a win over the UAE will see them go clear at the top of the table.